Following in the wake of three mega-successful recordings with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, including 1996's platinum-selling Hot and last year's eagerly anticipated Perennial Favorites, singer Katharine Whalen is stepping out to test the solo waters with her Jazz Squad. A collection of classy tunes from the 20s and 30s, it showcases a more poised and refined side of the North Carolina chanteuse whose alluring voice has been frequently and favorably compared to jazz great Billie Holiday.

On emotive, bittersweet renditions of vintage jazz standards like "My Old Flame," "Yesterdays," "There Is No Greater Love" and "Just You, Just Me," Whalen conveys the lyrics with understated power and an all-knowing sense of swing. Backed by a core quintet of accomplished jazz musicians, including fellow Zippers Jimbo Mathus on guitar and Stu Cole on bass, she conjures up an intimate, affecting vibe that goes down as easy as late night cognac. Whether the mood is jaunty "My Baby Just Cares For Me" or melancholy "Yesterdays", coquettish "Greater Love" or sassy "Now Or Never", fragile "My Old Flame" or lithely swinging "That Old Feeling", Whalen weaves a spell on listeners with her abundant vocal charms.

From the very beginning of her vocal career - all of six years ago - Katharine has alluded to this jazzy chanteuse side (check out "Wished For You" and "You're Driving Me Crazy" from the Zipper's 1995 debut, The Inevitable). With the release of Jazz Squad, she has taken a giant step forward into that jazzier realm.

The vintage material on Jazz Squad, she explains, was culled mainly from her own personal record collection. "They're the songs I was listening to and practicing along with when I first started trying to learn how to sing," says the 30-year-old vocalist. "Some were tunes I couldn't sing at first because they were too hard. But I've worked at it over the years and got some sort of rendition of them on this recording."